2011 Press Releases

21 JUNE… REFLECT AND LOOK TO FUTURE

Healing Through Remembering (HTR) is inviting people to use this year’s Day of Reflection on Monday 21 June as an opportunity to reflect on the conflict in and about Northern Ireland and a peaceful future.

The cross-community organisation focuses on ways of dealing with the past relating to the conflict in and about Northern Ireland, with the aim of ensuring a peaceful and stable future for all.

Coming just after the publication of the Saville Report, Healing Through Remembering points to the fact that for many people – particularly those who have lost a loved one or has been injured during the conflict – the report and its media coverage will be a reminder of their own particular circumstances and hurt.

Harold Good, HTR board member, said: “Our research has shown that there is no date in the calendar year which is not the anniversary of the death of at least one person in relation to the conflict.

“The Day of Reflection is a day to acknowledge the deep hurt caused by the conflict, to reflect on our own attitudes, on what more we might have done or might still do, and to make a personal commitment that such loss should never be allowed to happen again.

“The Day is a society-wide initiative offered as an inclusive and positive experience that emphasises a commitment to a peaceful new society. It provides a voluntary opportunity for everyone in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield to reflect upon the conflict in and about Northern Ireland and the future that is before us.”

As well as offices, gardens and churches where facilities for quiet reflection are available, a number of specific events are being planned for the Day including: a special assembly at an integrated college; the launch of a stain glass window in memory of local people killed in the conflict in Derry/Londonderry; and the lighting of commemorative candles at a victims/survivors group.

WHY 21 JUNE?

HTR carefully considered a number of dates for a Day of Reflection before deciding on 21 June – the summer solstice. It was felt that the longest day of the year was symbolically important because of the ebbing relationship between the hours of dark and light – a symbol of pain and hope in our community. It was also felt that 21 June represents a pause in the cycle of nature: a moment to reflect on both the past and the future. As well, the solstice is a natural event, and nature makes no distinction between races, creeds or political perspectives.Download

2010 Press Releases

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2009 Press Releases

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2008 Press Releases

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2007 Press Releases

1. Community Support for 21 June… Day of Reflection
2. 21 June… A Day of Reflection is Launched
3. Reflecting on the Past – Building for the Future

Images

View our Day of Reflection images

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